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Growth is an essential part of life. For your baby to grow, he or she needs to feed and feed well. An essential component of feeding well is the volume of food your baby takes in. This volume is determined largely by the size of your baby’s stomach.

As a new parent, it is very important that you know about the size of your baby’s stomach as this will help you in feeding your child properly.

Here’s the fact: your baby’s stomach is really small!

This article provides you with an approximate value of how much your baby can take in in the first few days of life and also a few things to bear in mind when breastfeeding or formula feeding.

How much can a baby’s stomach hold?

The size of your baby’s stomach deals with the volume of food that your baby can consume conveniently when feeding.

While breastfeeding, it may be tricky to monitor just how much milk your baby is getting. On the other hand, formula-feeding may result in your baby consuming more than the required volume of food. This is because you might feel that the amount of food your baby takes at each feed is too small. Most times, this is unhealthy and unnecessary.

For this reason, it is good to have a mental picture of how large your baby’s stomach can be as this will guide you in knowing how much food should be offered to your baby.

Although your child’s stomach size may not match these sizes listed below to the letter, you’d get a solid idea of what is expected. Also, your baby’s stomach size is influenced partly by his or her birth weight. As expected, a baby with low birth weight may not eat so much in the first few weeks of life. However, as he/she continues to grow, stomach adjustments would be made.

Daily Changes In Your Baby’s Stomach Size

Day 1

On the first day of life, your baby’s stomach is roughly the size of a marble or a hazelnut. He/she can only take in about 5-7 ml (approximately 1 tablespoon) of food at a time.

As a result of this small size, your baby may only take in little amounts of food at a time but will need to keep feeding often so that he or she can stay full.

Also, you will produce about 37ml of milk (colostrum) within the first 24 hours after birth. This is partly because your baby does not need so much yet. The more your baby makes the demand for food, the more your breasts will produce.

Day 2

By the second day of life, your baby’s stomach should be about the size of a cherry. The quantity of food your baby can take in should have increased slightly but you will still need to feed every 90 minutes to 120 minutes.

Day 3

By the third day, your baby’s stomach should have grown to the size of a walnut. This is usually large enough to accommodate about 15 to 30 ml of food per feeding.

Days 4 – 7

At the end of the first week of life for your baby, his or her stomach would have grown to about the size of an apricot. This means more food can be accommodated in the stomach as compared to the time of birth.

Your baby should be able to take in about 45 – 60 ml of food per feeding. You will also be able to produce about 280 – 576 ml of breastmilk a day.

Day 8 – 10

Early in the second week of life, your baby’s stomach should be large enough to accommodate about 60 – 90 ml of food per feeding. At this time, your baby’s stomach is about the size of a golf ball.

What To Remember While Breastfeeding

The more time your baby spends sucking at the breast, the better the development of your breast milk supply. If it seems your baby is spending more time feeding, it does not mean that your baby is not getting enough. It is normal and it helps your body to produce more milk.

The quality of milk you will produce as the day progresses will also change. In the first few days after birth, the breast milk you’re producing is known as colostrum. It contains a lot of proteins and antibodies needed for your baby to grow and develop properly.

At about two to five days after birth, colostrum will begin changing to transitional milk. This is more voluminous compared to colostrum and may have an appearance like whole milk.

By day ten to fourteen, you will begin to produce mature milk. Mature milk is composed of foremilk which is a bit watery and hindmilk, which is fattier. The composition of this mature milk changes based on your baby’s specific needs.

Remember, your milk production is based on the demand and supply theory: the more stimulation it gets, the more it senses the need to produce more milk, and the more breastmilk will be produced. Hence, the more your baby feeds, the more milk you will produce. Be careful to prevent milk coming out of your baby’s nose.

What To Note While Formula Feeding

It is very important for you to monitor the volume of food your baby is consuming when formula feeding. This is to prevent the chances of underfeeding or overfeeding.

If your baby cries a lot or starts sucking the fingers, it may be a sign that he or she is not feeding well and needs more food. In addition, if he or she has frequent spitting, vomits, or becomes fussy after feeding, it may be a sign of overfeeding and you should guard against it.

Conclusion

It is normal that you are concerned about the quantity of food your baby is taking in, especially when he or she seems not to be feeding well. Remember, your baby’s stomach is so small and can only take in little at a time, hence, the need to feed them frequently.

The likelihood of overfeeding is rare when you are breastfeeding. However, you should watch out for signs of hunger. This is to ensure that your baby gets as much as he or she needs per day.

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Every aspect of your baby’s growth is important, including his/her shoe size. As a parent, right-sizing your baby’s leg is the most important factor in selecting the best pair of shoes for your little one. However, it is important to note that measuring your baby’s foot to get the right size requires diligence, skill, and a lot of patience.

Nevertheless, this is an important part of your baby’s developmental journey because getting the right shoe size would help your little one feel comfy and promote proper foot development.

In this article, you’d learn how to measure your baby’s foot, how to ensure your measurement is accurate, things to avoid when sizing your baby’s feet, and a few tips on buying.

How To Measure Your Baby’s Feet

Measuring your baby’s feet is really simple.

This means that you can do it yourself. However, if you are not really sure, you can get your baby’s feet measured by a professional in a baby’s shoe shop.

If you want to measure your baby’s feet yourself, you will need:

• Blank paper
• A marker or pencil
• Ribbon or shoelace

In addition, you’d need a size guide to convert your measurements to the appropriate size. You can follow the steps detailed below:

Step 1:

Help your child to stand straight up on the blank piece of paper or against a wall with their back straight. It is better for the measurement to be taken while standing because the weight of the body pressed on the foot while standing influences the result you’ll get.

However, if your child is not old enough to stand by himself or herself, you may just have to measure while sleeping, and factor in a few inches.

Step 2:

Trace out the outline of the feet with a marker or pencil. Ensure you keep the marker at a right angle to get accurate results.

Also, if you are measuring your baby’s feet for the first time, you will need to measure both feet. This is because most times, the size of both feet differs and you’ll have to select the bigger size. You wouldn’t know the bigger one if you only measure one foot.

Step 3:

After tracing the length, move your child from the paper. You will then measure the length of the foot. This you do by measuring from the heel to the tallest point of the big toe. Write out whatever you measure and record as the length.

Step 4:

The next thing to do is to measure the width.

You can do this in two ways. First, you can either measure out the broadest part of the outline you got (the area around the ball of the foot). Second, you can place the ribbon or shoelace around the area and mark it out with the marker. Measure out what you marked and record the width.

Remember that you’re measuring for both feet!

Step 5:

After taking all your measurements, the next thing to do is to find the right size using your guide. Most shoe manufacturers include a size guide or provide one that you can easily print.

How to ensure your measurement is accurate

As soon as your baby has tried the new shoes on, you will need to confirm if the measurements you took are accurate. You can do this via the following means:

1. Visual check

By merely looking at your baby’s feet, you should be able to tell if the shoes are perfect or not. A perfect shoe will not leave marks on your baby’s feet. You can even turn the shoes upside down or inside out, if possible, just to ensure that they are the proper size.

2. Pinch test

Try and pinch some of the material between your fingers at the widest point. If you try and you can’t do it, then it means the shoe is too tight.

3. Finger Test

Put your pinkie finger between your baby’s heel and the back of the shoe. Your pinkie finger should fit perfectly into the shoe without extra space.

Things to avoid when sizing your baby’s shoes

1. Avoid hand-me-down shoes

Avoid giving your baby hand-me-down shoes, especially when he or she is still learning how to walk. This is because shoes mold to the child’s feet through use and hand-me-down shoes would have molded to the original wearer’s foot. This can cause irritation of some parts of the feet and may even cause your child to shift his or her weight incorrectly when walking.

2. Ignoring the foot size

Babies grow up so fast. You’d be surprised that they’ll outgrow that new pair of shoes in a couple of months. Monitor the growth of your baby’s shoe size by measuring the feet regularly to make sure that they do not outgrow the shoes.

Your baby may even give you some signs of outgrowth by taking the shoes off, rubbing their feet, or hobbling around. These are late signs that they’ve outgrown their shoes and need a new pair.

3. Avoid sticking to the exact measurement

After you’ve done all your calculations and you’ve gotten your exact baby shoe size, go for a slightly larger size. This gives your baby extra room to grow and also delays the time for you to get a new pair.

Also, you cannot be too sure that your measurements were accurate. A slightly larger shoe puts that into consideration.

Tips on buying shoes

1. Avoid hard-soled shoes. They may look pretty but they don’t help your baby walk. In fact, they may delay your child from walking. Go for soft-soled shoes. When buying, try and bend the soles of the shoes. If the are bendable, then they are good, but if not, you may want to consider another pair.
2. Go for a lightweight shoe. This helps your baby in walking. If the shoes are too heavy, they may find it difficult lifting their legs, making walking difficult.
3. Bring socks along. When you’re going to purchase a new pair of shoes for your child, go with a pair of socks, this is because your child will likely wear socks with the shoes. It’s best to test and see that it’s perfect before paying. Also, use the appropriate socks, thick pairs for winter boots and thin pairs for summer sneakers.
4. Ignore the trend. Following the trend and buying the latest clogs, boots or even heels will not be of help to your child who is just learning to walk. Rather, buy shoes that will help them master their walking ability.

Conclusion

Finally, it is a beautiful privilege to watch your little one grow into a happy, healthy child. With the tips in this article, you’d get all you need to measure your baby’s shoe size and get the best pair for your little one.

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When it comes to your baby, his/her growth and development are continuous and truly amazing. From a little mass of tissue formed immediately after conception, to the genius behind those strong kicks you feel in the later stages of pregnancy, the list is almost endless. Even after your baby is born, there are still many milestones to cross; including the closure of the soft spot on his/her head.

As a parent, it’s really important to learn about this soft spot on your baby’s head; what it is, when it closes, and how to care for it.

In this article, you’d find all the info you need for this and so much more.

Let’s Get Started!

What’s A Soft Spot?

Here’s the fact: At birth, your baby’s skull needs to be flexible enough to pass through the birth canal.

For this to happen, the bones of the skull (which are connected by strong ligaments in adults) need to remain unfused. These unfused points are called fontanelles, or soft spots on your baby’s head.

Although most people only know about the soft spot at the front of their babies’ heads, there are actually two soft spots on a newborn’s head; one at the back (called the posterior fontanelle), and the popular soft spot at the top and towards the front (called the anterior fontanelle).

Why Does My Baby Have a Soft Spot?

As we mentioned earlier, the soft spot is really crucial to the process of vaginal delivery. In fact, the soft spots on your child’s head have two main functions:

• Easy passage of his/her head during vaginal delivery.
• Gives room for expansion to accommodate your baby’s brain growth.

When Does the Soft Spot Close?

Most parents often wonder when their baby’s soft spot would close.

Here’s the answer: The exact time of closure is unique to every child.

In most cases, the posterior fontanelle closes between the 2^nd and 3^rd months of life. On the other hand, the anterior fontanelle closes between the 6th and 18th months of life.

Why Is My Baby’s Soft Spot Moving?

Moving or pulsating soft spots aren’t weird.

In fact, it is a sign of healthy blood circulation in your baby’s brain. If you can feel your baby’s soft spot moving gently when you place your finger on it, this just means that blood flow to his/her brain is happening as it should.

You can only feel this movement because the skull bones at that point are still unfused.

Is The Soft Spot on My Baby’s Head Harmful?

In most cases, a baby’s soft spot should feel soft and slightly indented. However, obvious changes in the texture and appearance of your baby’s soft spot may be a sign of harmful health issues.

For example, a soft spot is considered to be a problem if it:

• Begins to bulge out
• Sinks inwards

Bulging Soft Spot (Fontanelle)

A bulging fontanelle is considered and treated as a medical emergency. In fact, if you notice that your baby’s soft spot is bulging outwards, please contact your doctor immediately. Generally, a bulging fontanelle results from increased pressure in a child’s brain.

The other causes of a bulging fontanelle include:

• Meningitis: a swelling of the brain and spinal cord tissue due to viral or bacterial infection
• Hydrocephalus: excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain
• Encephalitis: swelling of the brain due to infection
• Direct Hit or trauma to the head
• Bleeding in the brain

Sunken Soft Spot (Fontanelle)

This is usually a sign of dehydration.

If you notice that your baby’s soft spot looks deeper than it should, there’s a high chance that he/she is not getting enough fluids or breast milk. When this happens, it is really important to consult your pediatrician. If you are not producing enough milk, you can find help here on how to boost your breast milk supply.

In addition to a sunken soft spot, these are some of the other signs of dehydration in babies:

• Fewer wet diapers
• Reduced alertness
• Irritability
• Prolonged drowsiness
• Dry mouth
• Extremely cool skin

Nevertheless, it is important to note that babies who aren’t dehydrated may also have sunken soft spots. As a result, the best option is to consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Large or Retained Soft Spot

If you notice that your baby’s soft spot is larger than it should be or it doesn’t close after the time frame mentioned earlier, please visit your doctor immediately.

This is really important because a retained or abnormally large soft spot may be a sign of serious medical conditions like Down Syndrome, Hypothyroidism, or Rickets.

If your baby’ soft spot has not closed after 18 months of life, please consult your pediatrician.

Essential Care Tips for Your Baby’s Soft Spot

Thankfully, it is really easy to care for your baby’s soft spot. In most cases, all you have to do is take note of the info in this article to understand what is normal and keep an eye out for the abnormal changes.

As you care for your little one, it is important to remember that:

• Both soft spots should look flat, with a slight downward curve, against your baby’s head.
• The soft spots should feel soft and pulsatile when you run your fingers over the top of your child’s head
• The anterior fontanelle may look slightly bulged when your baby is crying or lying down. Once your little one is calm or sitting upright, it should return to its normal position.

You can care for your child’s soft spot by placing a cute headband to protect the skull from direct hits.

Conclusion

Finally, it is important to remember that the soft spots on your baby’s head are completely normal and important for normal brain development. As a new parent, you don’t need to be bothered about these soft spots on your baby’s head. In fact, your doctor will observe both fontanelles during the delivery process and continue to monitor them during your regular postnatal clinics.

However, you should keep an eye out for the warning signs mentioned in this article as your little one grows into a strong and healthy child.

Enjoy the journey, Mama.

Most relationships end at a point; including the one you share with the umbilical cord during pregnancy. Here’s the fact: it’s not you, it’s just normal. After birth, your little one no longer depends on the umbilical cord for gas transport and nutrient supply.

Thankfully, this is an expected sign of growth.

During pregnancy, your little one depends on you for oxygen delivery and nutrient supply. These demands are met by the combined action of the placenta and umbilical cord. In fact, any problem with the umbilical cord during pregnancy may lead to serious complications. Nevertheless, just like the placenta, the umbilical cord becomes non-functional immediately after delivery.

In this article, you’d find all the info you need about the umbilical cord; what happens to it after childbirth, and how to care for it. Furthermore, there’s a note on the signs and symptoms of umbilical cord infections.

First, What’s an Umbilical Cord?

The umbilical cord is a connecting tube between the placenta and your baby during pregnancy.

In this period, it functions in the transport of oxygen and delivery of nutrients to your little one. The functions of the umbilical cord also extend to the removal of your baby’s waste products during pregnancy.

What happens to The Umbilical Cord After Childbirth?

After delivery, the umbilical cord becomes unnecessary because your baby will learn how to perform respiratory and excretory functions on his/her own. As a result, your doctors would clamp the umbilical cord as a part of the vaginal delivery process or Cesarean section.

Don’t fret: the process of clamping and cutting the umbilical cord wouldn’t hurt your baby.

This is because the umbilical cord has no nerves, so there’s no pain to you or your baby.

Nevertheless, cutting the umbilical cord would leave a short stump (of about 1 inch) on your baby’s belly. In most cases, this stump falls off within the first three weeks of life.

Initially, the stump would look yellowish and very shiny. However, it would become grey, brown, blue, or purple as it dries out. Eventually, it would wrinkle, turn black, and eventually fall off.

Tips On Umbilical Cord Care

Before the cord eventually falls off on its own, you need to keep the stump clean. For this, pediatricians now advise “dry care” for the stump. This simply means that you should keep the cord as dry as possible and expose it to air to prevent infections.

To help you out, we’ve compiled the following umbilical care tips:

1. Ensure your hands are clean before touching your baby’s umbilical cord. This prevents you from passing any germs from you to your baby.
2. Ensure that the stump is clean and dry as much as possible.
3. Be gentle with the stump as you clean it.
4. Don’t try to pull off the stump with your hands: Allow the stump fall off by itself, you don’t have to help it.
5. Avoid getting the stump wet.
6. Give your baby sponge baths instead of tub baths: This helps to keep the stump dry as much as possible.
7. You can expose the stump to air to help dry out the base.
8. Fold your baby’s diapers: so that it rests below the cord in order to shield the cord from your baby’s pee and poo. This also allows air to circulate around the base of the stump and keep the stump dry. You can opt for diapers that have cut out areas for the cord.
9. Clean the stump gently with soap and water if your baby has a messy bowel movement and some stool gets on the cord.

Possible Complications of The Umbilical Cord

Umbilical cord complications are rare. However, some health conditions are associated with the umbilical cord stump. In fact, improper umbilical cord care may lead to various infections that may be potentially fatal because the cord has a straight passage to the bloodstream.

Some of these complications include:

1. Umbilical Hernia

When this happens, a part of the baby’s intestine protrudes through the abdominal muscles near the umbilical cord. Usually, it is not very serious and resolves on its own by the second year of life. In other instances, it may become more serious requiring urgent medical attention.

2. Omphalitis

This occurs when the area around the stump of the umbilical cord becomes infected. Sometimes, omphalitis can be serious if the infection passes into the bloodstream.

Symptoms of omphalitis include:

• Redness or swelling at the base of the cord
• Leakage of fluid or pus from the cord
• Foul smell
• Fever

Most times when this occurs, your baby may be hospitalized for proper monitoring and treatment. Antibiotics will be needed for treatment.

3. Umbilical Granulation

This happens when a part of the stump remains after all other parts have fallen off. This small, reddish or pinkish lump does not hurt and your baby’s doctor can help to remove it by severing its connection with the body. This is done by tying off this stump remnant or freezing it with liquid nitrogen.

When to See Your Pediatrician

You should consult your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:

• Blood on the end of the cord: Minute bleeding may not be a sign of any infection, however, if the blood flow is heavy and does not look like it’s stopping soon, please call your doctor immediately.
• If you notice a yellowish or whitish discharge from your baby’s cord.
• If your baby cries whenever you touch the area around the cord. This may be a sign of pain around the cord.
• Reddish or pinkish swelling of the cord.
• Persistent umbilical cord stump: if your baby’s cord has not fallen off after three weeks, you should see your pediatrician immediately.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is really easy to care for your baby’s umbilical cord stump and prevent infections. All you need to do is follow the readymade tips above and you’re good to go.

Your baby is going to grow up strong and healthy!